The Washington critic., 1887-11-15
WASHINGTON, NOV. 10, 1887
= HAPPY HENRY GEORGE.

MIR. Henry George IS the most cnCer-
full man under adversely Of whom any
mention Is made in history. II isn't
merely that Ire bears dcfea, with philo-
sophical resignation; he seems to take
sort of ecstatIc delight In being
licked. In his speech at the New
York Academy OF Music, Sunday
night, he said
what would we have gained by lager
yotoi suppose We had elected some of onr
candidates We have cared nothing about
ottces. What we want to dn Is to educate
Meu; to set men thinking. iChtCrs. Aud all
We hoped FOR from larger vote was that II
would attract attention and excite thought
and make that process easier We did not
get IN this city rs large a Noto ns we had cx.
ptctod; but we do know that IN this city there
are 3i,Cc0 men. not one OF whom was bought,
not one man that could be bought 81. 900 rnen
wlo went up to the POLLS and vu'td for the
great principle ZOO men who know what
they want and kn Nv how 10 get lt-8T00J men
who can be counted on as against everything
for this cause.
We had supposed all along that the
ticket of the United Labor party was
put In the field TO be elected, or at least
was voted for with more or less eXpec
tation of its election Mr. George says
that such was not the case. They
didn't care anything about the Offices
didn't want them; probably wouldn't
have taken any of them as gift. The
great and only object In view was to
set men thinking and educate them
and, according 10 Mr.. Georges peculiar
fhapry r,a1o artt 1ar
whether the vote was great or small
1t answered Its educational purpose
just as well one way as the other
quite as well with 1000 men as 1t did
with es, 200 men some time ago.
The fact that the number of persons
in New York who stand by "the great
principle" and "can be counted on as
against everything for this cause
the principle and cause of land taxa
tion, to the exemption of landlords and
coupon cllppers-is only half as great
es II was when Mr.. George made his
really brilliant race for the Mayoralty,
doesn't disconcert him In the least.
At what point In the descending
scale the Henry George vote would
part with Its educational virtue and
cease to set men thinking we are not
Informed; but appearances would iu-
dic2te that IT. had already neared that
point. II not 1t will certainly get there
in the Presidential election.
The United Labor party had some
excellent points In its platform. and II
any necessity exists for Its Independent
organization 1t really deserves better
fate than to be handicapped by such a
fauclful theorist as Mr.. George and
hoodwinked by such an impracticable
gool-for-nothing amateur in politics
as DR.. McGlynn.
But the necessity for its existence Is
not Obvious certainly not, If it is
unable 10 find strong headed, able.
bodied, expert leaders. There is not
one of Its reasonable propositions of
which 1t may not compass the adoption
through one or the other of the great
parties, without resorting to third party
methods and friltering away Its infu.
ence in decreased majori,ies.
1t has developed the strength of a
political factor; 1t has made itself felt
in the moulding of public sentiment
favorable to liberal legislation In behalf
of the workingmen Of the country, and
the wiser course would now be to dis.
card associations that are simply losing
It confidence and sympathy and return
10 Its original affiliations.
What those affiliations naturally are
Is shown by the result In New York,
and II the men who control the policy
Of the Democratic party are wise they
will see that "United Labor" has no
further cause to dissolve the renewed
partnership.